Joseph May TEAGUE

Joseph May TEAGUE

Joseph was born and brought up in Plymouth where he had some connection with the Bosun on the Bellerophon, which brought Napoleon into Plymouth in July 1815 from Elba. The story came down the family that this bosun was an uncle. I have looked into it and found that his name was Joseph Manning and that he was most probably an uncle by marriage. Sarah and Joseph seem to have frequently returned to Plymouth for holidays. Joseph still had at least 1 brother there and poor Sarah later died there in 1890 whilst on holiday.

Joseph & Sarah had 8 children: One of their grandsons - Samuel Robert Teague, my grandfather, worked at Simpson Spence & Young in London as a ship broker. He later became a partner and was a friend and colleague of Ernest Simpson the former husband of Wallis; later Duchess of Windsor. He used to help smuggle Ernest out of the back door of the office to avoid the press during the time before the abdication. My father was taken to tea with Ernest as a teenager. He always said that Sam had to stop him from drinking the finger bowl! Ernest gave him a stamp album which I still have. Unfortunately Wallis was not present.1